1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a convertible top for a convertible vehicle of the type defined more specifically in the preamble of Patent Claim 1.
2. Description of Related Art
In convertible vehicles in which the convertible top is folded when the top is down, i.e., open, and in which the convertible top is usually stored in a storage space in the rear-end area of the vehicle, the height of storage, i.e., the packing height, of the folded roof is of great importance because a large packing height limits the design freedom in the rear-end area of the vehicle and also greatly limits the possible dimensions of the luggage area.
DE 100 51 436 A1 discloses a multipart convertible top for a convertible vehicle, where the convertible top has a gasket apparatus with a movably mounted gasket for sealing a movable roof part with respect to an adjacent vehicle part, where the gasket is pivotably mounted with respect to the movable roof part and is pivoted into its sealing position in relation to the roof part when the movable roof part assumes a sealing position, and is pivoted into a storage position when the movable roof part is moved into a position without a sealing function. In particular, the movable roof part is a rear-end roof part which can be stored horizontally in the opposite direction in a storage space in the rear end of the vehicle under a front roof part when the top is down, in which case the gasket arranged on the side of the rear-end roof part for a side window is pivotable inward with respect to the rear-end roof part when the latter is stored. The gasket is pivotable in the direction of the middle of the vehicle such that the rear-end roof part and the front-end roof part can be positioned closely one on top of the other, so the height of the storage space can be reduced by approximately the size of the gasket.
The drive device provided for the pivoting movement of the gasket in DE 100 51 436 A1 is, for example, a coupling rod which couples the movable gasket to the movable roof part or a roof part executing a relative movement with respect to the gasket.
Another possibility for shifting an external roof frame part toward the middle of the vehicle in a top-down movement of a convertible folding top is described in DE 40 41 176 A1, which proposes a sealing element attached to the folding top for a gasket apparatus of the folding top, with the sealing element being in sealing contact with an edge area of a closed side window when the folding convertible top is up. In this case, when the top is put down, an outside area of the sealing element is shifted laterally inward via an adjustment device designed essentially as a rocker arm path.
However, with these known approaches, only a slight reduction in the storage height of the folded roof package can be achieved with a multipart top that folds in accordion fashion due to the fact that the respective roof parts are stored in opposite directions stacked one above the other.